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Schneider Electric has proudly received the highest ranking in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, a report compiled by the world's leading IT research and advisory company. The Magic Quadrant evaluation process ranks vendors meeting defined criteria in a major technology market through a rigorous process spanning many months. Read the complete Gartner report here.

IT virtualization, the engine behind cloud computing, can have significant consequences on the data center physical infrastructure. Higher power densities that often result can challenge the cooling capabilities of an existing system. Reduced overall energy consumption that typically results from physical server consolidation may actually worsen the data center’s power usage effectiveness (PUE). Dynamic loads that vary in time and location may heighten the risk of downtime if rack-level power and cooling health are not understood and considered. Finally, the fault-tolerant nature of a highly virtualized environment could raise questions about the level of redundancy required in the physical infrastructure. These particular effects of virtualization are discussed and possible solutions or methods for dealing with them are offered.

White Paper #173 Power and Cooling Guidelines for Deploying IT in Colocation Data Centers

Some prospective colocation data center tenants view power and cooing best practices as constraining. However, an effective acceptable use policy can reduce downtime due to thermal shutdown and human error, reduce stranded capacity, and extend the life of the initial leased space, avoiding the cost of oversized reserved space. This paper explains some of the causes of stranded power, cooling, and space capacity in colocation data centers and explains how high-density rack power distribution, air containment, and other practices improve availability and efficiency. Examples of acceptable use policies that address these issues are provided.

While many who invest in Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software benefit greatly, some do not. Research has revealed a number of pitfalls that end users should avoid when evaluating and implementing DCIM solutions. Choosing an inappropriate solution, relying on inadequate processes, and a lack of commitment / ownership / knowledge can each undermine a chosen toolset’s ability to deliver the value it was designed to provide. This paper describes these common pitfalls and provides practical guidance on how to avoid them.

Business executives are challenging their IT staff to convert data centers from cost centers into producers of business value. Data centers can make a significant impact to the bottom line by enabling the business to respond more quickly to market demands. This paper demonstrates, through a series of examples, how data center infrastructure management software tools can simplify operational processes, cut costs, and speed up information delivery.

Are complicated software and instrumentation needed to measure and allocate energy costs and carbon to IT users? Or can we get by with simple, low cost methods for energy cost and carbon allocation? How precise do we need to be? This paper provides an overview of energy cost and carbon allocation strategies and their precision. We show that it is both easy and inexpensive for any data center, large or small, new or old, to get started allocating costs and carbon, but the expense and complexity escalate and ROI declines when excessive precision is specified.

When faced with the decision of upgrading an existing data center, building new, or leasing space in a retail colocation data center, there are both quantitative and qualitative differences to consider. The 10-year TCO may favor upgrading or building over outsourcing, however, this paper demonstrates that the economics may be overwhelmed by a business’ sensitivity to cash flow, cash cross-over point, deployment timeframe, data center life expectancy, regulatory requirements, and other strategic factors. This paper discusses how to assess these key factors to help make a sound decision.

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DCIM, the Data Center Manager and the Software Defined Data Center

The rise of DCIM and the Software Defined Data Center may mean the Data Center Manager will manage IT equipment in the future as the IT focus shifts to abstracted or virtualized IT provision.

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10 Real World Scenarios Where DCIM Matters

Whether you're unfamiliar with DCIM's benefits, or you're already considering implementing it, watch this interesting and informative whiteboard video to learn how DCIM will make an essential difference in your data center.